I made a chocolate fudge cake for Georgia's 5th birthday party. The recipe was a for a one layer cake, so I made it twice and had two layers. I could probably have just doubled the recipe, but I didn't decide to do two until I had already made one and it was in the oven. And the thing about baking is that you never know about doubling a recipe. It can get you into trouble. I was making her birthday cake the morning of her party. I didn't really want to make an emergency trip to a bakery on the way there for a birthday cake.
So, since it took me longer to do the two layers, I made a chocolate frosting that could be poured on as a glaze rather than having to wait for it to cool and use it as a frosting. Then I added a little bit of pink frosting piping to dress it up a little. Well, it wouldn't win any cake decorating prizes, but it was loved by the birthday girl and her guests. And now for the recipe.
Chocolate Fudge Cake
(adapted from Alice Medrich's Fastest Fudge Cake)
ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/4 plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened natural (not Dutch-processed) cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup), melted
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup hot water
chocolate glaze ingredients:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch of salt
3/4 cup heavy or whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven 350 degrees. Prepare a 9-inch cake pan by buttering it or lining it with parchment paper.
2. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt and use a wire whisk to break up any lumps.
3. In a separate bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the melted butter and the brown sugar. While mixing with the paddle attachment, add the eggs and vanilla and beat until well blended. Remove from the stand mixer and add all of the flour/cocoa mixture and stir with a rubber spatula just until the entire mixture is moistened. Add the hot water to the batter and stir just to fully incorporate the water.
4. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake on a rack in the lower third of the oven for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Then remove from the pan, take the parchment paper off the bottom and put top side up on the wire rack to cool completely.
5. Make the frosting: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add the sugar, cocoa and salt. Add the cream gradually while stirring and continue to stir until it is completely heated, but do not let it boil. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Let cool slightly but before it get set, pour it over the cake and spread it smooth with a metal off-set spatula.
Serves 8. If you make 2 layers, there will still be enough of the glaze and the cake will easily serve 16.
Comments (1)
And the cake had an intoxicating effect on young and old!
Thanks!
Georgia's dad
Posted by Peter Schreiner | July 24, 2007 12:18 PM
Posted on July 24, 2007 12:18